A few weeks back on a livestream, one of our listeners recommended a movie called Shock Treatment, which I initially thought referred to the 1981 film of the same name that was a loose “sequel” to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. But nope, they said; this one was from 1964 and had Roddy McDowall in it. Having never heard of it and always game to watch something featuring Peter Vincent himself, I tracked the movie down on YouTube; the version I watched had German language credits for some reason, but was otherwise in English as normal. The film, a neo-noir mystery thriller of a sort, seems pretty well forgotten these days, but it does have a small cult following and I ended up enjoying it quite a bit.
Based on a 1961 novel by Winfred Van Atta and directed by Denis Sanders (who later did Invasion of the Bee Girls, which was also a hoot), Shock Treatment was clearly riding the wave of post-Psycho knockoffs that made a lot of hay out of focusing on crazy people and insane asylums; that said, it’s not super exploitative or as over the top as some of the other films of that ilk were, and is actually fairly restrained. The story is a touch convoluted and the acting a bit overwrought, but overall it’s a good time, and I would submit that Lauren Bacall’s performance here is particularly awesome, perhaps serving as a partial inspiration for Louise Fletcher’s cinematic portrayal of Nurse Ratched in 1975’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (though Ken Kesey’s novel came out in 1962, two years before the release of Shock Treatment). Lauren Bacall, by the way, hated this film and thought it was one of her worst performances. (Insert shrug emoji here.)
At the very beginning of the story, a gardener named Martin Ashley (Roddy McDowall) beheads his employer Mrs. Townsend with a pair of garden shears (offscreen), seemingly for no reason. We smash cut to his trial, where it’s revealed that not only did Martin willingly confess to the murder, but also reportedly burned a cool million bucks cash in the fireplace. Martin’s team seems to be angling for an insanity defense, but Mrs. Townsend’s executor, Harley Manning (Judson Laire), thinks something sketchy is afoot and testifies that even a madman would balk at burning a million dollars to ash.
However, renowned psychiatrist Dr. Edwina Beighley (Lauren Bacall) argues that Martin might be schizophrenic and sought to destroy his employer and the money, since Mrs. Townsend was planning to use said money to destroy Martin’s garden, which he loved more than anything in the world. Long story short, Martin is found not guilty by reason of insanity, and sent to a mental institution, where Dr. Beighley also happens to work.
Harley Manning is still suspicious that Martin is faking it, though, so he comes up with a somewhat unhinged plan. For the princely sum of $20,000, he hires an accomplished stage actor named Dale Nelson (played by Stuart Whitman, who was in The Day the Earth Stood Still, When Worlds Collide, Night of the Lepus, and about a billion other things) to fake a mental illness, get thrown in the looney bin, and befriend Martin to see if he can get some scuttlebutt about what really happened to the money.
Dale throws himself into the role, studying behaviors typical of mental patients, and learning everything there is to know about gardening, since that’s how he plans to get on Martin’s good side. He attracts the attention of the authorities by chucking a big garbage can through the plate glass window of a store, then running around shirtless and speculating on how many pencils he can make with all the carbon in his body. Just as planned, the cops think he’s a nutcase and bus him out to the bughouse for a temporary observation.
Dale manages to wangle his way into a work detail in the hospital gardens, much to the chagrin of Martin, who was quite happy caring for the garden alone. Dale plays his hand well, though, even using his knowledge that Martin previously won a prize for breeding a particular type of rose to get into the guy’s good graces. As a bonus, he also makes the acquaintance of a beautiful young patient named Cynthia (played by prolific actress Carol Lynley), who it’s later implied was hospitalized because she’s a nymphomaniac (though nothing very scandalous comes of this revelation, so don’t expect any toned-down 60s smut).
So Dale is trying to subtly steer Martin toward talking about the murder and the million dollars, but it isn’t really working out. Meanwhile, Dr. Beighley, who it’s hinted also believes Martin is faking and has designs on the money herself, puts Martin under hypnosis. Dale tries to eavesdrop on the session, but the doctor sees him, and she subsequently realizes that Dale connived his way into the hospital and is likewise trying to find out where the money is. Since the doctor really wants that million bucks to continue some nefarious research she failed to get a grant for, she decides she’s going to have to eliminate the competition. And since she’s an esteemed doctor and Dale is just a patient, she has all kinds of means at her disposal to do so, including the titular shock treatment.
This movie isn’t a lost classic or anything like that, but it’s a pretty entertaining little noir film, and Lauren Bacall’s villain turn is a particular highlight, even though she herself likely wouldn’t agree. Roddy McDowall is more a side character than the protagonist, but he’s still great as always, and it’s cool seeing him so young. I will also note that the “twist” ending of this was delightful and literally made me laugh out loud (in a good way). It seems to be mostly unknown nowadays, and I had never even heard of it until it was suggested to me, but it’s definitely worth watching if you’re a fan of the era, the genre, and the actors involved.
Until next time, keep it creepy, my friends.
The Scare Salon 